I have a friend who is admittedly seeking Ms. Right. He tells me about the girls he finds and dates. Each girl seems somewhat promising, but as he sees it out she never is anywhere close to Ms. Right. When he tells me about girls after the fact, I'll ask him where he met her. He gives me a look, and I don't need for him to tell me they met in a bar. My sister gave him what I thought was very sound advice. She suggested spending time doing the things he enjoyed and talking to the girls that were doing the same thing. He doubted that tactic since he can't imagine a girl wanting to be hit on at the art museum or at a bookstore.
He may be right.
I was out riding my bike to the store. I was in no hurry since the sun was finally shining for the first time today. I passed a cyclist who was inching down the road. The next thing I know, I've got a rider to my left. The cyclist begins making small talk. He's commenting on my bike asking me about my braking system. He asked me if we'd met before. When I said I was new to the city, he introduced himself as Bjorn and asked my name. This small talk went on for 8 blocks when I finally cut quickly into a parking lot. He shouted some kind of farewell as I pedaled away.
Just because we both ride bikes doesn't mean I want to talk to you. So maybe my friend shouldn't try to strike up a conversation at the library or an event downtown.
Or maybe he should. Had this friend--young, attractive, and charming--been the one on the bike, I probably would've responded differently. For some reason, a stranger can talk to you and even give you his number without it being a big deal as long as he doesn't give you the heebie jeebies first.
